French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated Monday that they had a good phone chat as they work to reduce diplomatic tensions between their countries.
The two presidents had a lengthy, open, and amicable discussion about the state of bilateral ties and the tensions that have risen in recent months,” according to a joint statement published following the call on Monday evening. Algeria has refused to readmit persons ordered to leave by French authorities due to criminal activity or a perceived threat to public order.
The diplomatic stalemate has been exacerbated by the detention of dissident Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was sentenced to five years in prison and fined last week for allegedly damaging Algeria’s territorial integrity.
Although the diplomatic issue has escalated this year, it began in earnest last July, when France supported Morocco’s long-standing claim to the disputed Western Sahara territory. The Algerian government was outraged by the decision, as it supports the local Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. Algiers recalled its ambassador to Paris. Last month, Interior Minister Bruno Rétailleau accused Algeria of “breaking international law” when it refused to readmit approximately 60 of its people who had been ordered to leave France.
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